rules of the road

"Chaos" is the one word that best describes road travel in India. Besides, this word could also be applied across several other areas, but we'll leave that for another day. No one follows traffic rules in India, stopping at red-lights, use of turn indicators, pedestrian right of way are considered optional while lane driving is almost a foreign concept. However, I discovered that there is a method to this madness:
Rule#1 - the guys who are ahead of you on the road rule, whether its a bicycle, 2 wheeler scooter or a bus. They get to move around the road as they please.
Rule#2 - the guys who are behind, honk their way ahead and insert their noses into any little space they can find while still keeping Rule#1 in mind.
Rule#3 - the big fish rule over the small fish
Rule#4 - no matter what, in any situation whether its a small scrape or an accident, its not your fault.

A friend of mine who moved back from the East coast loves the thrill of driving in India as it brings out an aggressive side of hers she didn't know existed (kinda like the Goofy cartoon on 'road rage' that we watch in Texas as a retribution for speeding tickets).

Today was my first attempt at the drivers seat (in Hyderabad), I chose a Sunday as the roads are less crowded and managed to drive on the left side of the road with manual shift gears. I hope to be a more confident driver by not analyzing the chaos but by becoming a part of it.

A cup of ...

'TEA' (The Hyderabad Expatriates Association).

Last night we found ourselves (more by accident) at a casual dinner hosted by TEA at the Walden Club (in Whisper Valley). TEA is a network of expats from around the world -- they meet every week and organize family friendly events, trips and members participate in local activity based clubs for biking, running, hiking etc. Members also have access to the library and facilities at the Indian School of Business (ISB).

India is not an easy country to settle into, esp. if one has had limited exposure to the East and I can see a support system like this being extremely helpful in shaping one's experiences in a foreign land.

Are you an expat in your country of origin? The answer is complicated and confusing but I for now I am happy to meet people from around the world.

The sound of s...

Noise pollution hits one everywhere, the coffee shops, the cafes, malls, elevators, airports and even gyms are either blaring extremely loud music or have loud speakers making announcements or calling out numbers. People can barely hear each other, forget holding audible conversations. On the road, the non-stops honks of cars, trucks, buses and autos are common place. Indian cities are also construction zones adding to the already high levels of dust, noise and pollution.

What is the solution? Do people acknowledge this as a problem? Is it only me, that craves the soft tunes at Tullys or the light jazz at Starbucks while sipping a cup of coffee.

the villas

Its been about 2 weeks since we arrived and a week since we moved into our rented home located in a small gated community. These are about a 100 homes interspersed with greenery and parks, each house is fairly large (Texas sized) and roomy (literally, I counted this house has over 15 rooms incld. baths). We didn't really need a house this big, but heard the community advantages were worth the stay.

We are located at the heart of the IT center next to the campus of the Indian School of Business, Microsoft, Infosys and a host of other tech and financial companies. There's a brand new upscale international style 18 hole golf course and country club right across the street from this community.

The villas have ample security, on-call maintenance personnel and readily available housekeepers, cooks and chauffeur services. Of course, everything comes with a premium price. Who said living in India was cheap? The cost of living in Texas is probably cheaper.

the land of mangoes

For the past several years, almost all of our trips to India were in December cheating us of the elusive mango. However, this year I managed to get in at the tail end of the Summer season and have been savoring the delicious Banganpalli mangoes - at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The mexican and south american varieties now seem poor in comparison to the mangoes from Andhra. Now that I have had my fill I hope the novelty doesn't wear off too quickly.

the one way ticket

"When do people buy one-way tickets?", " What massive change could a one way ticket bring to their lives?" These and more questions like these rang in my ears. Why? Read on...

After a 17 year jaunt in the US, I will be returning to India on a "one-way ticket". This impending travel and its impact finally hit me along with the realization that life would not be the same anymore. Good or bad I was ready to embrace this change (I am starting to sound like a certain political campaign :) ), though reluctantly.

The Pacific Northwest has been the most beautiful place I have ever lived in with its numerous lakes, islands, rivers and evergreen forests set against the backdrop of snow covered mountains. Where, on a clear day, one can see the Olympics on the west side and the Cascades on the east with the gigantic mount Rainier standing tall and peering out between the clouds. For me, these are the most unforgettable scenes of Seattle and the east side where I live.

The prospect of moving from this sleepy, rainy, coffee-drinking town to the hustle-bustle of a noisy, dusty, overcrowded, concrete jungle in an Indian city is going to be a challenge. However, these challenges will also open up opportunities and one of them being the ability to convey and share these experiences and trials. I will be documenting my journey back through the country where I started from.